Athing Mu on her dog Bentley, her 'mad scientist' coach Bobby Kersee and how she handles pressure as an Olympic champion - Exclusive
Athing Mu's biggest fan is in Eugene, Oregon, for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - track and field this week (22-30 June).
But he won't be at Hayward Field watching Mu.
That's because his name is Bentley, and he's Mu's not-yet-three-year-old pug, which she was given by her family after she claimed gold in the women's 800m at Tokyo 2020 in 2021.
"It's a full circle moment because hopefully I'm going into my second Games," the 22-year-old told Olympics.com in Eugene. "He's just super sweet... a crazy firecracker, but he's amazing: He knows when I'm sad and he just comes to cuddle. He's an emotional support dog even though he's not certified.
"It's just really nice to be able to bring him wherever we're travelling to, because [when that] is overseas, that's not really an opportunity we have."
Mu has the opportunity to book her ticket to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in the coming days, with the women's 800m final taking place on Monday (24 June). The reigning Olympic champion had arrived in Eugene (with Bentley) after what had been a frustrating few months, having dealt with lingering hamstring soreness that had prevented her from competing since September of last year.
"We're just taking it one step at a time, one round in time," she said. "I'm just excited to be here [and] happy that we could get through that little phase and be back ready to compete."
Mu held strong for a 2:01.73 - some seven seconds off her best - in round one on Friday (21 June), putting her two races away from a second Olympic berth.
Athing Mu: On the Kersee connection with Bobby and Jackie
After claiming Olympic gold in Tokyo at age 19, the New Jersey native Mu made a major move: She packed her bags and headed to Los Angeles, to train with famed coach Bobby Kersee - alongside the likes of fellow Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
"Bobby's a mad scientist," smiles Mu about the legendary Kersee. "He always just makes sure that no matter what happens throughout the year, he's always on our side first. And he's like a father to all of us."
Mu continued: "He always wants us to give our best; he knows our capabilities. He always wants to push us to the next level. And so it's really nice to have someone like that who truly believes in you, but also cares about you so much that - besides what everyone else is saying and what everyone else is doing - he's always going to be there for you, right on your side, to take away all the pressure that you could possibly have."
Part of "Team Kersee" of course includes Bobby's wife, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who - though she isn't with the training group in person on a regular basis - is always "a phone call away," Mu said.
"It's nice to be able to have someone who has been in the sport and been in the same position as us athletes," Mu said of Joyner-Kersee, a three-time Olympic champion and six-time medallist. "She knows the pressures, knows that injuries happen, knows what it's like to be at an Olympic Trials. She's just someone that we can get reassurance from.
"We basically have a dynamic duo that is super powerful, super knowledgeable and just super caring."
'There's a little bit more pressure on me'
With Mu's parents having emigrated from South Sudan, she took up track at age six and became the youngest woman to win both an Olympic and world title in an individual event when she triumphed at Worlds in 2022, held at this same Hayward Field venue.
She's been greeted with a hero's welcome by the track-knowledgeable fans in Eugene this week, something she's had to grow used to over the past three years.
"There's so many more fans that are here supporting me... a lot of people enjoy watching me run," she said. "There's a little bit more pressure on me, because I know that other people are looking out to what I do to reflect on how they move in their careers. With that in mind, I kind of just want to always make sure I give out my best."
That's where the Kersee camp has stepped in, giving Mu an extra layer of confidence as she tries to become just the second woman - aside from South Africa's Caster Semenya (2021 and 2016) - to win a pair of Olympic titles in the women's 800m.
"I think the one thing that I always want to give off to other people [that] your journey is different than everyone else's, and so there's no pressure in that for me," she explained.
The key? Keeping it light, Mu said.
"I just always try and have fun. I always like to smile when I'm out competing. And so I'm hoping that this weekend that there's lots of smiles and lots of joy out there on track."
And a few snuggles from Bentley when she gets back to the hotel, too.